A Husband is Hushed Up (A Duchess of Stortford Mystery): A Victorian whodunnit with a hint of humour (The Duchess of Stortford Mysteries Book 2) by Helen Golden

Author:Helen Golden [Golden, Helen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Drew Bradley Press
Published: 2025-11-27T00:00:00+00:00

22

SECONDS LATER…

Baxter looked heavenward, as if seeking divine patience. “You’ve recruited the footman as your personal detective photographer. Marvellous!”

She removed her arm from his and gave him a fixed stare. “It’s George’s hobby. It’s come in very useful in the past…”

He shook his head slowly, then, putting his hands behind his back, moved forward. The crunch of gravel underfoot was the only sound for a moment.

He’ll get used to this soon, won’t he?

She caught him up as they entered the formal gardens. The meticulously pruned boxwood hedges created a maze of green paths where tulips and alliums were in bloom, with early roses beginning to unfurl their petals.

“How was dinner last night?” she asked, hoping to steer the conversation to something less controversial.

“It was understandably subdued,” he told her. “Lilly kept dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief—rather dramatically, I might add. Cordelia was unusually quiet, though she did manage to eat a hearty portion of everything served.”

She gave a wry smile.

“James,” he continued, “was in a real sulk all evening; he barely touched his food. And he seemed to be deliberately ignoring Sebastian, who kept trying to catch his eye.”

Have the two fallen out?

“So when the ladies retired to the drawing room, and James announced he was going for a walk, I saw an opportunity to speak with him alone, as we’d discussed. So I followed him out.”

She shot him a look of mild surprise. So he’s taking our investigation seriously…

“I caught up with him near the stables. He was smoking a cigarette. I mentioned he seemed out of sorts and asked if he was quite well.”

“What did he say?”

“He said he was shocked by Vance’s death, naturally, but also that he’d been let down by a friend. I asked if that friend was Sebastian.”

Bold. “And?” she pressed, intensely curious.

“He nearly exploded with anger. ‘What did Vance tell you?’ he demanded. I assured him Vance had said nothing to me directly, but then…” He hesitated, looking uncomfortable. “I’m not proud of this, but I lied.”

Well done, Bax!

“I told him I’d heard rumours Sebastian preyed on wealthy young titled men, getting them into debt, and we were all concerned on his behalf. James was furious. He told me I was as bad as Vance and asked if we all thought he was that naïve. According to James, we’ve all misjudged Sebastian.”

But have we? As much as she instinctively wanted to trust her younger brother, she hadn’t taken to Sebastian at all. She didn’t trust him…

They rounded a corner in the path, and the rose garden came into view. Some of the tension in her shoulders dissipated as she entered her favourite retreat at Francis Court. There’s something so peaceful about this space. The air was perfumed with young blossoms that interspersed the stone benches, nestling them within secluded alcoves. The gravel paths formed a perfect circle around a small fountain. A gentle trickle of water emitted from it, tinkling as it landed in the basin at its foot. She led Baxter to a sheltered bench where the sun was warming the stone.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.